Everly Lockhart

November 2022 I joined NANOWRIMO and thousands of writers with a common goal of writing 50,000 words for a new novel. I'm proud to say that I finished with 51,000 words.  If writing 50,000 words seems daunting, but having a community of writers all working towards a common goal sounds amazing, then Camp NANOWRIMO is for you.  Camp Nano differs from NANOWRIMO in the rules and word count. For NANO, you have to write a minimum of 50k to win and recieve an sort of prizes and it has to be for a new story. For camp, you can choose your word count and it can be for one project or as many as you want.  NANO also only happens during the month of November and Camp happens twice a year in April and July.  This is my first year going to Camp, but I just know it will be great.  Now down to my goals. Overall I plan to write 20k words, which is about 667 words a day. But to get this done as quickly as I can, I want to write a scene one day, then the next day I'll go back, reread it, and add a

To pants or to plot, that is the question. Now that I've taken on a massive writing project that is spanning well over seven months, I'm a firm believer in plotting.  As of today (fingers crossed), my outline for my (fingers crossed) debut novel. Its looking like it will be around 75,000 words and will be a young adult novel. I didn't plan to write a YA novel, but it turns out that's what my level of writing is and there's no shame in that. Improvement is always possible.  Over the next week, I'll be meticulously re-reading the outline for any inconsistencies or things that might need adjusting. Then when Camp Nano comes around on  April 1st, I'll start writing.

 Yesterday I began editing my NANOWRIMO project. It's been around two months since I've last read it and I needed the time away from it. I was convinced that it was the worst thing ever written, but now as I reread it, I think its alright. Still terrified to have people read it though. Hopefully soon I will be able to have beta reader and start getting some feedback on it.

  In all my life, I've never created a fully functioning world. There never was a reason to, and it always came across as daunting and intimidating. But now as I embark on my NaNoWriMo journey, I'm faced with my greatest enemy: world-building.  A book I started reading is Creating Places (The Art of World Building) by Randy Ellefson. He brought to my attention to the nuances in a world that I never thought about, like equator location, the moon and high tide, or ocean currents. The process I came up with got broken down into four categories: Genre, world, land, people. Genre : High fantasy since the story takes place on another planet. The genre of a story is importnt as it tells you how much world should be built. For example, The Lord of the Rings is an epic fantasy. It takes place in a different world with its own history. The rules of that world a very different from our own. While The Princess Bride, it may take take place in a made up kingdom, the rules of the world mim

Hello Authors, Do you prefer to grab a random pair of pants from you closet without making sure they match your top? Or do you prefer to plan exactly what you'll wear months in advance? I'm a plotter and I am proud! For years I was a pantser and for years I never wrote a completed story. My brain apparently is desperate for structure. But good for you if you can whip up a comprehensive story from the depths of your brain.  Normally I don't care what type of person you are, mismatched outfit and all, but for NaNoWriMo, YOU SHOULD WRITE A DETAILED OUTLINE. It will save you so much time if you have a road map for your trip to 50,000 words, and time during this month is a valuable commodity. Do not waste it deciding if your main character will or won't fall for the villain. Decide now that they will lure them into a false sense of security and then defeat them.  My NaNo: Outlining I've tried several software programs to help with outlining. Milinote, campfire, world anv

 Ahh characters. One of the many reasons I read is to watch characters be broken down and shattered, only for them to miraculously piece themselves back together again. How is this done? Simple. Make them three dimensional. Your characters should feel as real as an actual person. They need conflicting desires, hopes, and dreams. They need to be dissatisfied when they get what they're after; they need to be flawed.  My NaNo Project: Main character: Pandora  Age: 20 Want: Travel the realms without anyone telling her what to do, where to go, or who to worship. Need: Her family needs her to provide food and money for them. Misbelief:  She is the only one who can keep her family safe. One day, she will be free from everything, but until then, she must stay in survival mode, enjoying nothing. Until she has everything exactly how she wants it, she can't be happy. What people expect out of her: Her father expects her to stay around the house cleaning, gardening, and hunting. Henry